Does this person want a high gloss coat? I personally like a more natural feeling wood. All I hear about is CA. One product that a wonderful turner and turning instructor from Indianapolis, Jim Dupler, got me hooked on is Kwick Kleen fast drying polyurathane. It is also water resistant, which for what I do is imperative. CA is not. I sell CA and wonder if anyone knows what CA looks like after 20 or 30 years. I have seen tons of CA pens, and some have really mastered this process and results are amazing. I just want to have a more natural look and feel, it is my personal taste only. If I were turning plastic, I would want it to feel like plastic. Wood like wood.
Anyway, this stuff is fast, beautiful, durable and easy. I showed a master violin maker, Harold Evans, this product ( sells them for up to $40,000 and is known for his finishes) and he was blown away. We both then experimented with about a half dozen products I have heard about on this forum, and this product was the easy winner.
It comes in semi-gloss, gloss and satin. I let the wood choose the gloss. Works on oily woods as well. I will post some of what I do here in the next week or two.
A good finish to me is one that is predictable, durable, beautiful, fast and easy. Nobody says this has to be hard. The actual application takes me about 20 seconds and I can handle it in about a minute. It is often used by makers of high end bows because of its durability, ability to flex, and water resistance.
Did I say I liked this product?
Thought you might want to hear something other then try harder.